On May 3, 2018, a volcano named Kilauea which is only 1 of the 5 volcanoes on Big Island of Hawaii erupted. It was followed by a huge earthquake of 6.9 magnitude, causing lava from the volcano to flow up to 150ft in the air and releasing huge amounts of sulphur dioxide into the air. Now sulphur dioxide is a highly toxic gas and it can even cause death, so it is serving as another factor putting the state into even more jeopardy. After which the governor had declared a state of emergency.
The lava has since then been flowing through the streets of Hawaii, causing enormous amount of destruction, destroying up to 36 houses and anything coming in its way, forcing up to 17,000 people to evacuate the area. Scientists are saying there is no expectation of the lava to stop flowing any time soon, which is flowing drastically. The volcano has been active since 1983 and is referred to as one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The most deadliest of its eruption happened back in November of 1970, causing 400 deaths.
The Island of Hawaii is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the two main islands of New Zealand. In New Zealand a massive sinkhole formed a few days back, which is believed to be the length of two football fields. I believe some high level natural and climatic changes are occurring worldwide, which can have terrible consequences and at the present can be seen happening in Hawaii.
As several homes have been destroyed, many people are left homeless, for them charity and community centres have been opened. However, there are also reports of a lot of seismic activity. After the incident numerous earthquakes have been reported at an average rate of one earthquake per day. Cracks are being formed on the land, releasing even more lava, making it even more difficult for people to move and even evacuate the area. Two big fissures have caused the ground to split open.
It has been six days since the eruption occurred and the situation is getting worse day by day. The Hawaii governor has also appealed for federal help as things are getting out of control. However, the situation is so bad that such a big natural disaster cannot be stopped by any human power in my opinion as nature is much more of a dominating force than mankind's most prized creations. Even though the Kilauea volcano has been active for such a long time, the question that arises is that why did it erupt now after such a long time?
According to Tracy Gregg, an associate professor of geology at the University at Buffalo said: "We don't know enough details about the internal plumbing to be able to give really precise answers to why the volcano is erupting now. A blob of new magma from deep below the volcano got injected up into the volcanic edifice. That, combined with the general instability of Kilauea volcano in general, has allowed the magma to erupt near Leilani Estates.
However I do not believe in the word “cause” as climatic changes are happening all around the world, when people ask questions like what’s the cause of this natural disaster, I believe finding causes are just a way for our own mental relaxation, to feel satisfied that okay this was the reason something happened otherwise it would not have happened, this is what I believe people think but the truth is that Earth is developing huge climatic and physical changes because one day all of this is going to end. Natural disasters don’t have reasons or causes in my opinion and no human being can stop them, because they do not have the power, if some disaster has to happen it will definitely happen by the command of Allah Almighty. What I believe we can do on our behalf is pray for the safety of every human being.